DeMarcus Lawrence SUSPENDED? WTF?!?!

By Matt ConnollyApril 20, 2016

Dallas Cowboys starting defensive end Demarcus Lawrence will be suspended for a failed offseason drug test, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told Chat Sports on Wednesday.

Lawrence tested positive for amphetamines, according to the source, which typically carries a penalty of four games. The Cowboys are expected to make an announcement regarding the suspension within the next 24 hours.

Lawrence, the No. 34 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, played in all 16 games (13 starts) for the Cowboys in 2015. He tallied 8.0 sacks and 55 tackles on the season, finishing the year with a sack in seven-straight games.

The Boise State product played in only seven games as a rookie after suffering a fractured right foot in training camp. Lawrence had a strong showing in the postseason, however, recording two sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. In the Cowboys' wild card playoff game with the Detroit Lions, Lawrence's sack and fumble recovery with less than a minute to go punched Dallas' ticket into the next round.

Losing Lawrence for any period of time would be a huge blow to the Cowboys, as they are already very thin at DE. Randy Gregory was suspended four games back in February, and only two other players on the team's active roster -- free agent signee Benson Mayowa and 2015 fifth-round pick Ryan Russell -- have logged NFL snaps at the position.

The most high-profile NFL suspensions for amphetamines came in 2014, when wide receiver Wes Welker (Denver Broncos) and defensive tackle Naloti Ngata (Baltimore Ravens) both tested positive. Welker had his suspension lifted after the league released a revised drug policy.



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This better be a fucking hoax.

I hope to hell this isn't true. I don't want Joey Bosa at #4 but that would seem to be a lock if this is legit.

I have seen nothing on this except from that Chat Sports website. I doubt this is true.

This is the result when you google "Demarcus Lawrence suspended" and limit it to the last 24 hours. Only 1 result, and it's that Chat Sports website.

https://www.google.com/#q=cowboys demarcus lawrence suspended&tbm=nws&tbs=qdr:d&rct=j

NoDak said:

This better be a fucking hoax.

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Yeah, right now Chat Sports appears to be the only source claiming this.

Iamtdg said:

I have seen nothing on this except from that Chat Sports website. I doubt this is true.

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Figuring that someone like Schefter, Rapaport, et al, would have said something by now.

Iamtdg said:

This is the result when you google "Demarcus Lawrence suspended" and limit it to the last 24 hours. Only 1 result, and it's that Chat Sports website.

https://www.google.com/#q=cowboys demarcus lawrence suspended&tbm=nws&tbs=qdr:d&rct=j

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Well, hopefully this is just a bunch of bullshit. Just think... Going in to last year our top 4 DEs were Hardy, Lawrence, Gregory, and Mincey, and people were finally excited about our DEs and potential passrush. If Lawrence is suspended, going in to this year? ~crickets~ God damn.

E_D_Guapo said:

Figuring that someone like Schefter, Rapaport, et al, would have said something by now.

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Yeah, one of them would be all over this already if true.

NoDak said:

Well, hopefully this is just a bunch of bullshit. Just think... Going in to last year our top 4 DEs were Hardy, Lawrence, Gregory, and Mincey, and people were finally excited about our DEs and potential passrush. If Lawrence is suspended, going in to this year? ~crickets~ God damn.

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Yeah, that would fuck up the draft even more so than it already will be.

Well, on the bright side, if this does turn out to be false, at least the headline will probably make booze literally shit his pants when he first sees it.

Fwiw, chat sports seems to have an affiliation of some kind with SI.

I don't know anything about Chat Sports but if they were just throwing some bogus shit out there to drive traffic to their site I'm quite sure it is going to work. On the flip side, if this turns out to be a false report hopefully it will demolish any credibility they were hoping to establish.

Genghis Khan said:

Fwiw, chat sports seems to have an affiliation of some kind with SI.

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I can't imagine that no one else would be running with this rumor by now if their were any legit sources.

Of course who makes shit like this up? If you're going to invent a rumor wouldn't you pick a bigger name player?

Can today get any better?

~cleaning up shit from office chair~

Wasn't someone claiming a little while ago that we were whistling past the graveyard on another d-line suspension?

I'll see if I can find that...

Oh yeah, the JJT article:

Cowboys don't need to risk draft picks on Robert Nkemdiche, Noah Spence
8:23 PM ET

Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPN Staff Writer

IRVING, Texas -- As Tony Romo nears the end of his career, this is not the time for the Dallas Cowboys to draft players with off-the-field issues.

The Cowboys need players they can trust to help Romo amend his legacy. Experience says players with drug issues can't be trusted.

Some will succeed the way Tyrann Mathieu of the Arizona Cardinals has overcome his issues; others such as Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns will fail.

So it doesn't matter how enticing first-round talents Robert Nkemdiche or Noah Spence appear -- the Cowboys should pass on each of them even if they drop into the second round.

The risk/reward isn’t worth it because the Cowboys have reached their limit on key defensive players they can't trust.

Defensive end Randy Gregory, a top-10 talent who slipped into the second round last year because of his proclivity for smoking marijuana, finds himself one failed test away from a year suspension.

After failing a drug test at the NFL scouting combine last year, he was placed in the league's substance-abuse program upon being drafted. He has been suspended for the first four games of this season, an indication he flunked at least three other tests since his combine screwup.

Drafted to be a dynamic pass-rusher, his disappointing season ended with no sacks. Now, his NFL future is in doubt.

Middle linebacker Rolando McClain, who was suspended for the first four games of last season for violating the league's substance abuse program, is also one failed test away from a one-year suspension.

McClain starts and Gregory should be a key contributor, but both are one moment of weakness or foolish decision away from seriously hurting the team for an extended period. And, according to a team source, another defensive starter is one failed test away from a four-game suspension.

So anyone stilling having a problem with drafting Buckner?

Planet theory all the way. I've had about enough of these little shitheads.

GShock said:

Oh yeah, the JJT article:

Middle linebacker Rolando McClain, who was suspended for the first four games of last season for violating the league's substance abuse program, is also one failed test away from a one-year suspension.

McClain starts and Gregory should be a key contributor, but both are one moment of weakness or foolish decision away from seriously hurting the team for an extended period. And, according to a team source, another defensive starter is one failed test away from a four-game suspension.

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Scandrick also had a 4 game suspension for substance abuse. Seems like we have seen a lot more of these suspensions league wide lately.